News & Products

Penguin Software Announces Price Drop

Penguin Software has announced an across-the-board price drop for its software line. All programs in its COMPREHEND Interactive Novel series will be $17.95 for 5¼-inch disks (Apple, Commodore 64, IBM) and $19.95 for 3½-inch disks (Atari ST, Macintosh, and Amiga). This line includes such titles as Crimson Crown, Oo-Topos, and Transylvania. Suggested retail price for Graphics Magician and Complete Graphics System will be $39.95 ($49.95 for Macintosh version).

Other graphics utilities, such as Paper Graphics, Transitions, and Cat Graphics will be priced at $19.95. Graphics Magician Junior (Apple and Commodore) will be $19.95. Disk Repair Kit will be $12.95, In the Home series, Home Data Manager will be priced at $24.95, and Home Connection (with $15 free CompuServe time) will be $29.95. Also, some backlist titles will be available for $8.95.

Penguin Software, 2600 Keslinger Rd., P.O. Box 311, Geneva, IL 60134.

Circle Reader Service Number 220.

New Reading, Social Studies Software

CBS Interactive Learning has introduced The Novel Approach: Lord of the Flies, the first title in the Novel Approach computer software series developed by Media Basics for Apple, IBM, and Commodore eight-bit systems. Each program in the series focuses on a popular literary classic frequently studied in junior and senior high school. Designed to help students develop or maintain interest in reading and to build critical reading skills, each title in the Novel Approach can be used as a springboard for classroom discussion or independent study. Four additional Novel Approach titles are planned for release in the fall of 1986. They are Animal Farm by George Orwell, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

The Novel Approach series motivates students to read by enhancing their understanding and appreciation of literature. Each program helps students focus on character motivation, plot development, symbolism, narrative techniques, and vocabulary. Rather than replacing the reading of the book itself, the programs are meant to be used before, during, and after reading, Each includes three separate learning activities: The Discoverer, designed to pique interest before reading; The Explorer, a self-paced series of questions and answers that enhance understanding; and The Master, designed to test students' knowledge of the story after it has been read.

Built into each program in the Novel Approach series is a comprehensive reference guide, The Book Scanner. It provides background information on each book, a profile of the author, and an annotated bibliography of related books. Errors are tracked, and corrections with explanations are provided.

The Novel Approach: Lord of the Flies comes with a program guide, teacher's guide, and backup disk. It is available for the Apple II series (48K RAM minimum), Commodore 64, and IBM-PC and PCjr with 128K RAM and graphics board for $59.95.

CBS also has introduced Continents and Countries, a program for use within the social studies curriculum in grades 5-12. Designed by Neosoft, the program helps students build and test their knowledge of the nations and peoples of the world through self-paced learning activities. Its database covers over 140 countries and includes facts on each country's major religion, language, per capita income, land area, form of government, and population. Continents and Countries, available for the Apple II series with 48K RAM minimum, has a suggested retail price of $49.95.

CBS Interactive Learning, One Fawcett Pl, Greenwich, CT 06836.

Circle Reader Service Number 221.

Baseball And Bridge For Apple

Random House has announced Apple II conversion of two programs. APBA Major League Players Baseball uses actual statistics from the 1984 or 1985 baseball season and lets users start their own leagues, draft teams from a list of 676 big-league players, or play with the actual rosters for all 26 teams from each season. The program is now available for Apple IIe and IIc with 128K, 80-column card, and two disk drives for $59.95.

Foreign Language Detective Game

Gessler Educational Software has announced French, Spanish, and German versions of Tom Snyder's bestselling program Snooper Troops. The program helps children develop their foreign language vocabularies and reasoning skills by having them take notes, draw maps, and organize information.

The object of the Spanish and German versions is for the player to determine who committed a crime in the old mansion and why. The player must question the suspects and remember each correct password and clue in order to solve the mystery. Available for the Commodore 64, the Spanish and German versions retail for $39.95. In the French version, available for Apple II+, IIe, and IIc at $49.95, the player's mission is to find the villain who fled with Lily the Dolphin.

Gessler Educational Software, 900 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Circle Reader Service Number 223.

More New Releases From The U.K.

Firebird Licensees, a British software licensing company which made a nice entry into the U.S. market with Elite, recently introduced several new products.

The Pawn is a rich text-and-graphics adventure previously available for the Atari ST, but now shipping for the Commodore 64 and 128 (in native 128 mode). Set in the mythical world of Kerovina, the game provides the player with an intricate network of plots and subplots with many objectives.

New members of the Firebird "flippy" family (disks with one program on each side) are Battle of Britain/Battle of Midway (Commodore 64, $19.95), strategy/war games that break out into arcade-style games at certain points in the action; Iwo Jima/Falklands’82 (Commodore 64, $19.95); and Chimera /Mercenary (Atari 800/130, $19.95).

Firebird Licensees, P.O. Box 49, Ramsey, NJ 07446.

Circle Reader Service Number 224.

ST, Amiga Programs

Classic Image is releasing two programs each for the Atari ST-series computers and the Commodore Amiga.

Disk Library is a tool for keeping track of files on your disks. Files, folders, and subdirectories can be categorized and cross-referenced. Lists of files and folders can be displayed on the screen or dumped to a printer. Disks can be searched by any category, and the entire library is automatically updated as new disks are added. Disk Library works with single- or multiple-drive systems and is available for both the ST and Amiga for $49.95.

Diablo is an original game that combines animation with strategy. The screen is filled with mazelike tracks that disappear in sections as a ball rolls over them. The player's goal is to keep the ball rolling as long as possible without running out of track. Versions for the ST and Amiga retail for $29.95 each. Classic Image, 510 Rhode Island Ave., Cherry Hill, NJ 08002.

Circle Reader Service Number 225.

Turbocharged Amiga

Computer System Associates has introduced a series of add-on circuit boards that modify a Commodore Amiga for high-speed operation using the Motorola 32-bit 68020 microprocessor.

A specially modified Turbo-Amiga runs at a CPU (central processing unit) clock speed of 14 megahertz, contains up to 2.5 megabytes of 32-bit memory, and can accept an optional Motorola 68881 math coprocessor. The 68020 modification alone increases overall performance by about 60 percent. By adding 512K of 32-bit memory, performance increases about 140 percent. Applications which use intensive floating-point math can run up to 40 times faster. Complete Turbo-Amiga systems start at $4,980.

Computer System Associates, 7564 Trade St., San Diego, CA 92121.

Circle Reader Service Number 226.

ST, Amiga Golf Game

Accolade has announced that versions of its golf-simulation game will be available this summer for the Atari ST-series and Commodore Amiga computers.

Mean 18: Ultimate Golf uses 3-D animation to simulate golfing on three famous courses—Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, and Augusta National. In addition, you can construct your own courses. A bird's-eye view shows the position of your ball after each shot. Different levels of difficultly accommodate all kinds of players. The ST and Amiga versions of Mean 18 will retail for $49.95 each.

Accolade, 20833 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014

Circle Reader Service Number 227.

Recreational Software

Baudville is releasing three new home and educational programs for the Commodore 64, Atari 400/800/XL/XE, Apple II series, IBM PC and compatibles. Atari ST series, Commodore Amiga, and Apple Macintosh.

Video Vegas recreates authentic casino games such as blackjack, draw poker, keno, and slot machines. Guitar Wizard helps both novice and experienced musicians learn and analyze scales, chords, and tunings for all kinds of fretted string instruments. Ted Bear's Rainy Day Games is a three-in-one card game package for youngsters. It contains computer versions of concentration, old maid, and go fish.

All of the programs are scheduled for release this fall at prices ranging from $29.95 to $34.95.

Baudville, 1001 Medical Park Dr., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Circle Reader Service Number 228.

Color Printer For Amiga, ST

Okidata has released adapters to make its Okimate 20 color thermal-transfer printer work with the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST-series computers.

The Plug 'N Print Modules for the Amiga and ST include a cable, cartridge ribbons, paper, and instructions. The Okimate 20 has a 24-element thermal printhead that reproduces more than 100 colors, prints text at 80 characters per second in standard mode, or 40 characters per second in a near-letter-quality mode. Pages widths are 80 columns in standard mode or 132 columns in condensed mode. Other modes include expanded, boldface, italic, fine print, underlining, superscripts, and subscripts. An Okimate 20 with Plug 'N Print Module retails for $268.

Okidata, 532 Fellowship Rd., Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054.

Circle Reader Service Number 229.

ST MIDI Software

Electronic Music Publishing House has announced new software to take advantage of the Atari ST's built-in MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) ports.

Midiplay turns an ST into a 16-channel digital player/recorder that gives you control over the music's tempo, key, and timbre. It can play prerecorded music through the computer or a MIDI-equipped synthesizer, record music from a MIDI synthesizer, and display the music on the screen as it plays. It can also play music in slow motion—as much as ten times slower without altering the pitch. Depending on available memory, up to 250,000 MIDI notes/events can be recorded, and more than 150,000 can be stored on a single-sided 3½-inch disk. Midiplay responds to MIDI START, MIDI STOP, and MIDI CONTINUE commands from a remote MIDI device, and it supports playback looping. Playback time is accurate to 1/1000 second.

The synthesizer section turns the ST into a velocity-sensitive, three-voice, realtime synthesizer with eight envelopes, envelope-release control, vibrato speed/depth controls, and storage/playback of up to 26 programmable sound patches.

Three prerecorded music disks will also be available: Classics Volume I— Music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, and Mozart; Classics Volume II— The Music of Amadeus Mozart; and Musk of the Beatles. Other music disks are planned for the future.

Print Utility For Atari ST

Unison World has introduced an Atari ST version of its bestselling PrintMaster, a do-it-yourself print shop that allows easy creation of cards, signs, calendars, banners, and stationery. The program includes over 100 high-resolution graphics and many predefined border designs, type fonts, styles, and layout patterns. Menu-driven operation makes the program very easy to use, even for someone with no programming or drawing skills.

More Stickybear Software

Weekly Reader Software has added several new products to its line of educational software featuring the familiar character Stickybear. Stickybear Math 2 helps children practice multiplication and division ($39.95). Stickybear BASIC is a gentle introduction to the BASIC programming language ($39.95). Stickybear Printer is a sophisticated, easy-to-use graphic design program ($39.95). And Stickybear Car Builder helps familiarize you with all the mechanics of car building by letting you design, construct, refine, and test sample automobiles ($39.95).

New Casio Keyboards

Casio has introduced several new electronic keyboards. The Model MT-55 ($149.50) is a 44-key mini-keyboard with twelve instrument sounds, twelve auto-rhythms, and auto-chording. This six-note polyphonic instrument has a real-time memory that holds 512 melody notes or can be used to store auto-chording for ease of performance. The Model MT-205 ($199) is a 49-key stereo mini-keyboard with twelve instrument sounds. It features twelve auto-rhythms with intro, fill-in, and ending patterns. Optional DP-1 drum pads can be hooked up for manual play of the PCM drum sound sources. The unit is battery powered. The Model MT-88 ($199) is a 49-key mini-keyboard with twelve instrument sounds, twelve auto-rhythms, and auto-chording. It allows auto-play of songs stored in ROM packs. The keyboard's Chord Guide feature teaches the user to play 3-note fingered chords easily by following lights over the keyboard. Casio, Inc., 15 Gardner Rd., Fairfield, NJ 07006.

Circle Reader Service Number 233.

Briefly Noted

New products of all kinds were introduced at June's Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. Here are some highlights:

• Star Micronics premiered an upgrade of the popular Gemini 10X printer, the Gemini II. It combines the best features from the earlier model with the ease-of-use found in office printers ($329). Star Micronics, 200 Park Ave., Suite 3,510, New York, NY 10166.

• Main Street Publishing offers a similar budget line of packages previously sold by other publishers. Prices range from $4.95 to $9.95. Main Street Publishing, 611 W. Travelers Trail; Burnsville, MN 55337.